1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an in-place repair device for repairing glass panes, such as automobile windshields, and a method of using the device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,520, to Werner et al., discloses the filling of a windshield crack utilizing a bridge member mounted on the windshield and injecting a resin in a cycle using both positive and negative pressures developed with a threaded injector assembly. The apparatus works very well, and a variety of additional types of windshield repair units have been subsequently advanced. An entire industry for repairing windshield cracks, particularly small cracks, has arisen, and has been pioneered and operated worldwide by Novus Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn., using the Werner et al device.
The repairs have been widely accepted as alternatives to replacement of entire windshields, thus providing for a substantial savings to consumers throughout the world.
The apparatus in U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,520 requires a separate addition of resin, and the positioning of the injector using a separate bridge which is held in place with vacuum cups. The present invention relates to improvements comprising a modular repair assembly that is completely disposable and requires less time for completing and obtaining uniform quality.
In addition to U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,520, windshield repair systems which utilize resin injected into a break using various bridges and injection apparatus have been advanced. Many such devices use a separate vacuum pump, either hand or motor operated, that is connected to a fitting and, after a repair material, such as a resin, has been injected into the windshield break through the fitting, a vacuum is applied to the break and the resin injected, with a subsequent cycle of positive pressure over the windshield break to force the resin repair material into the windshield break. Such apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,727, for example and devices which use an external vacuum pump also are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,047,863 and 4,419,305.
A device substantially similar to U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,727 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,520, which also utilizes a separate vacuum pump and provides a different type of fixture for solving problems that have arisen with the fixture in relation to curved windshields. U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,272 discloses evacuating a break before resin is admitted to it.
A manual device for injecting resins into a crack in glass is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,841. This also uses a vacuum cup holder, and a pump for evacuating the cup.
The costs of supplies are relatively low for windshield repair, and the major cost is attributable to labor, including time of transit and of making the repair. Thus, simplification that reduces time spent, and time cleaning up, provides significant advantages in the marketplace.
Also, minimizing the number of parts that one must keep track of simplifies the task of the repair person, as well as reducing the volume and weight of the equipment that has to be carried for repairs.